Diphan, aged 45, a popular Malayalam filmmaker passed away today.

The news of Diphan’s death has come as a shock. He rose to fame with the Prithviraj starrer Puthiya Mukham.

Th filmmaker passed away at a private hospital in Kochi on Monday. Diphan was suffering from a kidney related disorder and succumbed to liver cirrhosis and kidney failure. A hospital spokesperson said that the director had been undergoing treatment for the liver disease for quite some time. He was admitted to the hospital here on February 26. His condition worsened after he contracted pneumonia

The cremation will take place at Diphan’s hometown Trivandrum, tomorrow. The director is survived by wife Deepa, sons Madhavan and Mahadevan.

After turning an independent director in 2003, Diphan directed the political thriller The King Maker: Leader. Then in a gap of six years, he returned with Puthiya Mukham starring Prithviraj. Post that he directed films like Hero, SIM and last being Dolphin Bar in 2014.